


The Road To Redemption

by huhyouexist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Apologies, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Kisses, Letters, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Redemption, assasination attempts, azula's healing, it has a little bit of everything tbh, snippets through time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huhyouexist/pseuds/huhyouexist
Summary: Snippets of Azula's time after the series ended. A journey through her redemption to fix the mistakes she had made and undo the pain she had inflicted on others.Or, a 21k Azula redemption story
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 131





	The Road To Redemption

When Azula had been summoned to Zuko's throne room, she had expected him to ask her to advise another decision regarding the treacherous New Ozai Society.

Certainly not this.

The day had been relatively normal up until this point. She had woken and had breakfast with everyone as usual. That consisted of Zuko, of course, Mai, her mother, Kiyi, and Ikem. Then, she went off to the gardens for a small stroll to clear her head before heading to the large practice space.

Now, you may be wondering, how did things end up so well for Azula? That was both very simple, and very complicated.

The simplest answer was that she had seen the error of her ways and had come to right her wrongs. Literally this time, with no schemes or motive to hide from them. After disappearing with the escapees from the prison, she had thought that was where she belonged. She thought that she could lead like she used to, if they all feared and respected her strength then they'd help her in her destiny to make Zuko just like the rest of his family.

But Azula quickly learned she was wrong.

She wasn't dealing with weaklings. No, she was dealing with mentally unstable prisoners that didn't fear a young girl with a self proclaimed destiny. At first, they had helped her out of gratitude for breaking them out of prison, but that wore off quickly as the roots of Azula's obsession began to show.

They had left with words that stuck to Azula for the next month.

"Your brothers destiny isn't yours to dictate. Try focusing on your own issues before you go bothering your brother about his."

She spent the following month spiting those words. Her issues? Who said she had issues? She was cured! The voices had gone away and her hallucinations stopped. This was clearly her destiny!

Until one day, after an encounter with the avatar, things finally clicked.

He had found her on a whim, she was traveling through a dense forest which, by the end of their encounter, had been leveled into a burning pile of leaves and wood.

-

_ "Azula stop! You're destroying the forest!" Aang shouted from the sky, held up by a tornado he had created to propel him into the sky. _

_ "I'd worry more about yourself than the mere forest Avatar!" She replied, voice equally as loud as she climbed into a tree and shot herself out towards him, kicking and punching a flurry of fire at the boy. It wasn't working, to her disappointment, he was too high up and the wind was extinguishing the flames before they could even get close. "Why don't you come down here? We can settle things a bit more fairly!" _

_ To her surprise, he did come down, but his eyes glowed with a blank ferocity that sent even her into a fearful panic. _

_ The elements gathered around him, flying in separate directions as to not disturb the other. She tried to fight back, but her bending was no match for all four of the elements. Even when her father had the comet he wasn't able to defeat Aang in his avatar state. _

_ With a sigh, she held her hands up in surrender. She's smart, and knows when she's lost a fight. Trying to fight against Aang right now would not help either of them. _

_ Earth enshrouded her body and held her in place, restricting any attempt to fire bend. _

_ Once she was retrained, Aang left the Avatar state, his glowing eyes returning to their normal grey hue and a frown plastered across his face. "How am I supposed to get you back to the Fire Nation like this?" _

_ "You could always just let me go free." Azula offered. "Then you wouldn't have to worry about it at all." _

_ "Yeah...sorry, no can do. If Zuko were to find out I had just let you go he'd-" _

_ "Zuzu would never have to know. I won't tell if you don't." Even with her entire body covered in rock, she had the nerve to grin at him. _

_ He frowned at her proposal, but then lit up like a lightbulb. "I know!" Quickly, he bends so that a chunk of rock shoots up under him and creates a chair for him to sit on just a foot away from her makeshift prison. "You can tell me why your doing all this!" _

_ That caught her off guard. "What? Why would I do that?" _

_ "Because I'm taking you to Zuko either way." _

_ His voice was deceptively carefree, but his words spoke to his seriousness. She raised an eyebrow. _

_ "And this helps your argument...how exactly?" _

_ "Because it'll be something to talk about on the way there!" _

_ Suddenly, the ground from beneath her shot up and broke apart from her little prison, and she was shot up into the air, then air bended onto Appa's saddle. She could hear the bison groan at the extra weight added to his back, but Aang coaxed him into dealing with it. And it all happened so quickly she barely had time to let out a yelp of surprise. _

_ "Yip Yip!" Aang said cheerfully, and Appa took to the skies. Once they were high enough up, Aang turned around to face her. _

_ Azula stared at the boy, and as far as she could tell her wasn't lying. She was the leading authority on lying, and she knew when another person was. She didn't need earth bending senses for that. _

_ "Why do you care? My destiny with Zuko has nothing to do with you." _

_ "Zuko told me about how you think your destiny is to change him to be like you. But I don't think that's right. I think your destiny is to help him become the best Fire Lord he can be." _

_ "As far as I'm concerned, their one in the same." She replies bluntly. _

_ "That's because you're stuck in the past!" _

_ "On the contrary, I have only ever thought of the future." _

_ "You sure? Because I heard you don't trust anyone anymore because you're still hurt that Mai and Ty Lee-" _

_ "Don't." Azula grits with a heated glare. "Don't you dare say their names." _

_ "Oh! Was that a sensitive spot? Sorry!" Aang apologizes quickly, and Azula's glare relaxes into something a bit more reserved. "What I mean is that your still holding onto the bad things instead of moving on! I mean sure, it's important to not forget the past but you have to learn from it as well." _

_ "I have. The past has educated me greatly. I now know never to trust anyone again." _

_ "Your not getting it! You're holding onto what people have done to you and justifying it as a reason to not trust anyone, when the truth is so much better!" _

_ "Really? Last I checked the truth was my two closest friends betrayed me for a group of children they barely knew." _

_ "You make it sounds so terrible. No wonder the fire nation got away with everything they did." Aang stuck a tongue out at Azula's raging features. "Anyway, you need to let go of all the anger inside of you and learn to accept that making people fear you won't let you keep them as friends. It will only give them more incentive to leave." _

_ "That's where you're wrong, Avatar. Fear is a great motivator into getting people to do what you want." _

_ "Then what did you want Mai and Ty Lee to do?" _

_ The words reverberated through Azula violently, causing such a shock to leave her mouth wide open. Slowly, she lowers her head as she remembers the events at Boiling Rock so vividly it was as if she was chi blocked all over again. Without warning, the words left her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. _

_ "To stay." _

_ Aang was silent, the only sound being him standing up and walking over to where she was in the saddle. She looked up at him, and found a sympathetic look that irritated her beyond belief. _

_ "And look at where that got you." He says quietly, and Azula chews on the inside of her mouth in annoyance. "Azula, you have to understand that a relationship isn't built on fear. It's built on kindness and trust. And yes, that will leave you vulnerable to hurt." _

_ Then, he smiles. "But it can also make you strong. True friendship can make you into a better person than you ever knew you could be. You just need to give people a chance, I think they'll surprise you." _

_ Azula didn't say anything at first. She didn't want to accept it, but more seconds passed, and the words sunk in. _

_ Ty Lee and Mai didn't leave because they didn't care about her, they left because they did. Mai didn't want to see Azula kill Zuko, and Ty Lee didn't want to see Azula kill Mai. _

_ All this time, she had thought the trust she had placed in them was wrong. She thought that they didn't care one bit about her, when it was just the opposite. The fear she had used to keep them at her side had never worked on Mai, and had worked on Ty Lee too much. So when one finally had the courage to split, the other found their opening to do the same. _

_ They had done it because they were never truly her friend, but they cared about her enough to help her not make a terrible mistake. _

_ "Then what do you propose, Avatar?" She says after a while. _

_ "Be good. That's all I ask. I know it won't be easy for you, but I implore that you put in the effort. I can vouch for you, and negotiate with Zuko to keep you out of prison and the institution, but you have to promise to try and change into a better person." _

_ "How do you know you can trust anything I say? I could just be using you to get what I want." _

_ "Maybe. But like I said," _

_ Suddenly, the prison around her limbs drops, and she is free. She looks down at her body to see indeed that the rocks had crumbled around her feet, and then a hand obstructs that view. _

_ She looks up to see Aang holding his hand out to her with a warm smile. _

_ "You have to give people a chance. They might surprise you." _

_ She stares at his hand, and wonders. _

_ Wonders what it would be like if she listened to him. Wonders what it would be like to live in the palace again. Wonders what Zuko would be like if they truly reconciled. Wonders what her mother truly thinks of her. _

_ Maybe she could really do it. Hell, if Zuko did it then she could do it. She wasn't one to be undermined by Zuko. That was all it was, she supposed. A decision, one that would shape her for the rest of her life. _

_ Ty Lee. _

_ Ty Lee had made that decision too. _

_ She had decided to leave Azula. And even if the princess would never forgive her for it, she had to accept why she did. _

_ Azula wasn't dumb. She knew now, looking back on it, that she had become unhinged. Her mind was scrambled and prone to making terrible decisions. Just look at the days before her coronation. In a few hours she had banished practically all of the palace staff. _

_ But now she had a chance. A chance to be better than she was. A chance to not be the monster she saw herself as. _

_ And in a moment of brief clarity, she takes his hand. _

_ - _

From there, everything was a rollercoaster.

Aang had done as he said he would, and Azula soon found herself settling back into her room in the palace, and a new goal to try and redeem herself.

Starting with her mother.

It wasn't easy. The first few weeks were full of loud arguments and a mind that was not willing to believe anything the other said. Azula, try as she might, couldn't believe anything her mother tried to say to justify her actions.

Then Ursa had found Azula shriveled up in her bed one night after another nightmare, and from there the insecurities and hurt flowed out of Azula like a waterfall.

That night started the beginning of their new relationship. A shaky one for sure, but one they both were determined to shape into the mother-daughter relationship they both always wanted.

Pretty soon, Kiyi joined the mix, growing attached to Azula and practically begging her to teach her fire bending. Azula was hesitant, and so was everyone else, but the pout on Kiyi's face was enough to convince everyone that the child wouldn't let anyone but her sister do it.

So her usual lonely practices became a tutoring session. Azula would demonstrate forms and guide Kiyi through the basics of fire bending as non-perfectionist as she could. Ursa would always come to watch, feeling a great amount of pride swell in her at the sight of her two daughters getting along so well even after everything one of them had been through.

And then Azula would sometimes look back at her and smile, and Ursa knew Azula was truly healing.

Zuko and Mai weren't too hard of an obstacle. After everything the new Fire Lord had gone through, he was very willing to try and mend he and his sisters relationship, so they started off on a positive note.

Large amounts of time were set aside for both of them, and they'd spend it talking about everything. They'd explain their pasts to each other, learn why the other acted the way they did and soon they were acting as if they hadn't tried to kill each other left and right just a year ago.

Mai was Azula's last person in the palace to deal with, and when she came to the girl...needless to say it was short.

-

_ "That's it? Just like that we're good?" Came Azula's disbelieving voice. _

_ Mai sighed and got up from her chair in her shared bedroom with Zuko. Azula had come into her room and had given her a stammered and forced apology, as if she had torn it out of her throat in order to get it out. It was painful to listen to, and pointless to begin with. _

_ She turned to face Azula, who looked as shocked as she sounded. _

_ "Yeah, pretty much." _

_ "I don't by it. I nearly killed you, there has to be something else." _

_ "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. I never cared about anything you did. I only stuck around because things were much more interesting with you then they were at home. But guess who actually did care about you?" _

_ "Don't." _

_ "You're going to have to face her eventually." _

_ Silence. _

_ "Did you love her?" _

_ The air shifted, Mai could feel Azula's anger from her spot 10 feet away from her. Now things were getting interesting. _

_ "You may have fooled yourself into believing you were a ruthless monster who didn't need anyone. But you needed her, because the moment you lost her you snapped." _

_ "Shut up." _

_ She wouldn't. Mai was the only person that had the nerve to be straight with Azula without fear of getting her face melted off. They both knew Mai could take Azula on if she really needed to, but knew she wouldn't have to. Because even if Azula wouldn't say it, she knew Mai was right. _

_ "Let's face it, you had more of a true relationship with her then any of the rest of us. You actually cared for her and watching her betray you broke you into pieces." _

_ "I said shut up!" Azula screamed, releasing a fireball out of her first and into the wall next to them. They both heard the shattering of something expensive and looked over to see the remnants of what was a vase perched on top of the dresser. _

_ "...Sorry." Azula mumbles weakly, still hating the way the word sounded when she spoke it. _

_ "Meh, at least it wasn't my knives. Zuko might be a little irritated though." _

_ They both locked eyes with each other, and smiled. They always did enjoy messing with Zuko and making him angry. _

_ Mai's face hardened and she walked the short distance over to Azula, and her couple inches over the princess meant she had to look up at Mai. _

_ "It's okay to have feelings, you know. Trust me, if anyone knows that, I do." _

_ Azula grins. "Of course, you are Mrs. 'I hate the world' after all." _

_ "Exactly, so then you know my feelings for Zuko are real." _

_ "Never said they weren't." _

_ "Anyway." Mai says, dodging around the conversation she herself had started and reverting back to the main point. "If you won't admit you love her, then will you at least admit she was more to you then any of us?" _

_ If there was one thing Mai could be certain of about Azula, it was her weakness. _

_ She had always known that Ty Lee had been Azula's biggest weakness. The cheerful girl was something Azula unknowingly depended on. She craved the attention and compliments the acrobat gave her, even if it was a self centered desire. _

_ Nonetheless, Azula cared for her. Loved her. _

_ Loved her enough that she lost her mind when Ty Lee betrayed her. _

_ When Mai had gone against Azula at the Boiling Rock, Azula hadn't immediately snapped. In fact, she seemed relatively normal, as if unaffected. The princess was mad of course, but not enough to go nuts. _

_ But as soon as Ty Lee chi blocked her, Mai saw the realization flash across Azula's features, along with hurt, rage, and a few others that were overshadowed by the first three. _

_ Azula had covered it well in that moment when everyone was watching, using her anger as a shield. But Mai saw the cracks in her facade. She noticed the glint in her eyes, one which she could only associate as insanity. That moment had confirmed it for Mai. _

_ Azula was in love with Ty Lee. She just was too afraid and misguided to realize it. _

_ "Yes." Came Azula's short reply. _

_ Mai smiled. "Good." _

-

That was a week ago. So yes, everything was going quite well for Azula. Her relationships were on the upturn and she seemed to be changing into a better person. Zuko had made her his closest advisor, trusting her to help him make the decisions that would shape the fire nation and the world.

She had accepted quickly, thinking at first that it would give her a way to get back in the publics good graces. But it turned out to be so much more. It made her want to go slap the Avatar for being so good at his job.

Helping Zuko, it made her realize that she was wrong. She realized that she was never meant to turn Zuko into Ozai, but rather the Fire Lord the world needed. All her life she had believed that what Ozai was doing was best, that he was helping the world by sharing the fire nations power and superiority.

But being present in countless meetings with the other tribes and hearing of the pain and hurt that had been inflicted on them by the fire nations reign made something settle in her. That lust to conquer had died inside her, and instead was replaced by a need to atone for all that she had done to the other nations.

She didn't really care if she was being honest. But it wasn't going to help her case to sit there and fight the nations that were willing to give her a chance even after everything she had done. Zuko had vouched for her to any hardheaded people, promising that she was doing her best to change her ways and help undo the harm their family had inflicted.

It was nice to hear her brother speak of her in a way other than disgust. Almost a relief. And seeing Zuko interact and negotiate with the others, she decided that he wasn't as weak as she had originally thought.

He had found himself in his banishment. Azula saw it now, he was no longer a nervous, poor excuse of a soldier that she had called her brother. No, he was stronger, more calculating in his orders and strategies. She saw it in the way they negotiated with the Earth Kingdom over Fire Nation colonies. He was fair, and open to ideas and cooperation in the tense meetings with the other nations that were ready to slice his head off if he made even one wrong move.

Clarity hit, and suddenly her destiny was clear.

To make Zuko the best version of the Fire Lord that he could be, so that nothing that Ozai had done ever happens again.

Any time that Zuko would be stumped on something, or stutter in a speech with the other men in the meeting, Azula would speak up and finish whatever idea had been brewing in Zuko's head. She could always read him well and figure out his plans before he himself could. It's what made him so easy to track when she was searching for him after the eclipse and during the hunt for the avatar in the Earth Kingdom.

But now, as she stood in front of Zuko, with an unexpected visitor entering from behind her, Azula felt her world collapsing once more.

She couldn't do this. Not right now. Not with her. It was too soon. She was still unstable. She didn't know what to say anyway. What do you say to someone like her?

"Azula, I know this is sudden, but please-" Zuko tried but Azula wouldn't hear it.

"I have to go." Azula says, still staring at the girl with shock.

"Azula wait-"

Too late, she was already leaving. No stopping her now.

"As your Fire Lord I command you to stay!" Zuko orders and Azula freezes for a moment.

She looks back at Zuko, and then at the visiter. They looked at her with a soft, gentle look. One so familiar that Azula felt herself breaking apart the more she looked at it.

"I-I can't. I'm sorry."

She leaves before the apology can even be argued against.

-

Mai was the first to find her huddled up in her room, a hardened frown visible and an unforgiving stare.

"It was you, wasn't it. You sent her here." Azula mumbles, staring out her balcony window as she sat just in the doorway, perched up against one of the sides.

"It was bound to happen eventually. If I didn't do it Zuko would've."

"I can't see her. Not yet."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both." Came Azula's reply, hard and unflinching.

Mai sighs loudly. "Well then this is gonna be awkward. Come on in!"

"What?" Azula says, and looks to find the door opening. She doesn't have to see who it was to know who was walking through her door. She scrambles to her feet. "No. Mai, why-"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

Mai turns around, and they both watch Ty Lee enter the room, a little sheepish and nervous as she faced the two of them. Mai walked over to her, and stopped when her shoulder aligned with Ty Lee.

"It's up to you now." She says, not making any effort to hide her words from Azula. The girl in question nodded silently and kept her eyes glues to Azula's which were glaring at her furiously. It was clear that the shock had worn off.

Mai promptly left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

A breeze flew in through the window and carried Azula's hair up with it. The silence persisted for several seconds, but the heat of the stare they both held seemed to speak an entire conversation on its own.

"How have you been, Zula?" Ty Lee finally started, trying to sound friendly even if the person she spoke to was the one who caused her so much pain and fear over the years.

"Don't call me that. We both know you don't want to anyway."

And just like that, the friendly tone in Ty Lee's voice dissipates. "Fine, if that's how this is going to be, then lets get started."

"Where do you want to start? Boiling rock? Or maybe the circus? I've done a lot of things Ty Lee, so you're going to have to be specific."

The acrobat put a hand to her chin and pretended to ponder it, even letting out a little hum for effect. "Let's see, how about..."

Ty Lee drops her hand and stares her dead on. "The beginning. When we first met."

"My my, this is going to be quite a long talk. Would you like to sit down?"

Ty Lee ignores her offer, and instead continues. "It wasn't all a lie, I know that much."

"Are you sure? I've been told by the doctors that I am a very non-empathetic person."

At the mention of the institution, Ty Lee winces. She had always wondered what Azula had gone through there, and if they had only made her worse. Because judging on the way she acted when Ty Lee visited with Zuko, they weren't doing a very good job.

"I don't believe that. Deep down, you cared about us."

"You should believe it. And you should also leave. What are you even doing here? Aren't you enjoying your new life being part of a matched set?" Her words were harsh, as they were meant to be. She may feel guilty about what she did to Ty Lee, but she had been hurt too. And she wasn't about to let Ty Lee forget it.

"I am, but I missed you."

Azula laughs and falls unceremoniously onto the couch, lying so that she was facing away from the acrobat.. "You're cute when you're lying, Ty Lee."

"I'm not lying!" Ty Lee defends, voice raising a bit. "I really did! And I want to make amends!"

"You should have thought about that before you betrayed me."

Even though Ty Lee couldn't see her face, she could picture the serious look that she'd have and shuddered a little. "I know I hurt you, but you hurt me too."

"Glad you haven't forgotten. That's something at least."

"Come on Azula, I know you want to fix this."

"You don't know the first thing about me. Now if you'll kindly leave me alone, I want to get some rest, I'm beginning to have a headache."

"No." Ty Lee says, not budging from her spot. She could hear an exasperated sigh leave Azula's lips.

"Ty Lee, now is really not the time to start getting all-"

"Your name is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation." She pauses to see if Azula is going to stop her, but continues when she is met with silence. "Your a fire bending prodigy with the most beautiful flame I have ever seen. You're ruthless in battle and cunning when creating plans. You use fear and manipulation to me and the people around you because your father has drilled it into your head that you don't need anyone or they'll make you weak. You think you're a monster because your mother was only trying to stop you from turning into your father."

She stops to catch her breath, and Azula doesn't say anything, merely looking away as to not have to see the acrobats face. Ty Lee slowly makes her way over to the girl but gives her the privacy of not being able to see her face.

"But deep down, you're still a fifteen year old girl with her own swell of insecurities. You're a terrible flirt and it's hard for you to socialize with people who aren't military leaders. And I know all of this because I care. I care about you and even if I feared you, every compliment I ever gave you or hug we shared was real and not a lie. Because to me our friendship was everything, you meant so much more to me them you know and hearing from Mai that you've started to get better gave me the courage to come see you."

Ty Lee finally moves to look into Azula's eyes, but they remain distant and neutral, not allowing a shred of emotion to be seen in them.

"I love you, Azula." Ty Lee finally confesses. "And whether you love me or not, I'm staying this time. I'm never gonna leave you again."

Azula is quiet for a moment, but turns her head to face Ty Lee. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?" Ty Lee asks as Azula gets up and walks to her desk. Silently, she opens one of the drawers and pulls out a small, folded up piece of paper.

Shutting the drawer, Azula walks back over to Ty Lee and holds the paper out to her. She takes it, and as soon as she does Azula moves to the door, opening it and pausing in the doorway. Ty Lee watches her, hoping that she'll say something, anything.

She glances at Ty Lee, and gives her a sad expression, uncanny for the princess usual cold facade.

"Given me hope."

And just like that, the door shuts, leaving Ty Lee alone in Azula's room, a paper in her hand, and a mind raging with all sorts of questions.

Before any of them can distract her, she glances down at the letter. It has her name written on it with elegant penmanship. She flips to look at the back side, but upon seeing it's blank she flips it back over and goes to unfold it.

Her thumb barely was able to get under the fold before the door busted open. She yelped in surprise and quickly acted to face the guest and hide the paper behind her back.

It was Mai, and Ty Lee let out a tiny exhale at relief that it wasn't anyone else. She secretly tucked the paper into the back of her belt and gave Mai a delightful smile. "Mai! What's up?"

Mai, unfazed walked straight to her and dived straight in. "Azula just walked past me and looked like she was about to go set a house on fire. What happened?"

"Oh, you know." Ty Lee laughed. "We talked about this and that, just girl stuff you know?"

The unimpressed look on Mai's face told Ty Lee to give up trying to avoid the subject.

"I tried okay? But she got all neutral and wouldn't even try to talk to me."

"How hard did you try, exactly?"

Ty Lee blushed. "I told her I loved her, and that I wasn't gonna leave her again, but she just got up and left."

She didn't mention the paper, or Azula's parting words to her. She didn't want Mai peeking into it any more then she had. Even Ty Lee had limits when it came to the matters of the heart.

"So she's in denial."

Wait, what?

"Where'd you get that-" Ty Lee started.

"It's not hard to see. Azula has always been able to make a comeback for anything. So if you rendered her speechless enough to where she just got up and left? Well..."

Ty Lee couldn't really argue with that. They'd both known Azula over the years, and knew that the princess was always able to lie her way through anything. So rendering her speechless should count as one of the wonders of the world.

Whatever the case, Ty Lee really needed to read that letter.

"Hey, I gotta go. We'll talk later, yeah? Okay bye!"

Her quick departure was followed by her slipping out the already open door and running to a place no one would ever find her.

-

She ended up in a hidden passage that she used to use when her, Azula, and Mai would play hide and seek. She had taken a small candle with her so that she could light the torch in the passage, quickly extinguishing the candle now that she had a larger source of light.

Leaning up against the wall just next to the torch, Ty Lee pulled the paper out from her belt and finally unfolded it.

_ Ty Lee _ ,

_ I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to give this to you. Probably not. You're off with your new best friends after all. What reason would you have to come see me? _

_ Ah, that was probably rude. Forgive me, I'm trying to do better about my...temper towards people lower than me. It's not easy, you know, being good. Everyone always makes it look so simple when the reality is much different. Sometimes I thought I was going to faint from making so many decisions that didn't end with something burning down. _

Ty Lee laughed softly. She could tell Azula hadn't given herself any time to prepare for writing this. It all sounded so natural, as if Azula was really talking to her.

_ That's besides the point though. I meant to write this as a sort of apology. _

_ As you may know I'm not very good at...connecting with people, or so I'm told. This makes it hard for me to apologize or show my emotions without cringing terribly. I don't know how I managed to reconcile with everyone else without doing this, but I suppose it's easier when your forced to be around them 24/7. _

_ But since you have obviously moved on from your life here, I decided to do this instead. I thought, maybe if I wrote everything down, it would give me some sort of closure from what happened. I doubt it will work, but I suppose it's worth a try. _

_ So, Ty Lee, I'm sorry. _

The acrobat could feel the corners of her eyes begin to sting as she continued _. _

_ I'm getting better at the whole 'sorry' business. But to you I don't think it will ever quite mean as much as I want it to. I was cruel to you. I forced you into doing my bidding when I knew you were happy, and used fear to keep you with me, and for that, I am deeply sorry. _

_ I never truly understood the extent of what my actions did to you. I have come to accept that I will always be out of touch with mine and other peoples emotions. I can't fully comprehend how people feel or why they feel that way, but I understand that you do. _

_ But that doesn't justify anything, nothing will. I know no amount of apologies will erase what transpired between us. All I can do is hope that one day you will give me a second chance. _

_ Because truthfully, if we are being completely honest, I think I love you. _

_ Well, at the very least I truly did care for you. You were always so unfathomably nice to me, and whether it was a self preservation tactic or real, it was nice. _

_ I liked hearing you compliment me, and I hated seeing those boys fall at their knees for you and take your attention away from me. I believe someone would call that jealous. Is that terrible of me? I don't really know anymore. The lines became blurred so long ago, nothing truly seems right or wrong to me. Maybe thats where the problem lies. _

_ Oh, I'm sidetracking again. I seem to do that quite a bit. Is this what people call nervous? I've never really experienced it before. I think the closest I came to it was when Chan was trying to kiss me. I remember vividly not enjoying that. Do you remember that party? That was quite the night, during the campfire. I suppose I should apologize for laughing at the mention of you being a circus freak. But you did say it was a compliment, so was it really that terrible? _

_ I should stop, if I go any further I'll end up getting lost in my own head and nobody ever wants that. So I'll leave on a final farewell, in case I do never see you again. _

_ Thank you for pretending to be my friend Ty Lee, and I'm sorry we couldn't be anything more. _

_ Azula. _

Ty Lee reread the words over and over again. Clinging to them and engraining the ink into her memory so as to always remember it. This was Azula at her core. This is what she wanted to say to Ty Lee even if she was never given the chance to do so.

She could feel the uncertainty in her words, see the nerves in her shaky brush strokes, and read the feelings she had laid so bare for Ty Lee. It was so unlike Azula to do so that she knew it couldn't be fake.

Azula could do many things, but her lies and deception were always voiced with certainty and confidence. To see such a jumble of sentences formed into a heartfelt letter from the princess only added to its authenticity.

Rereading over the letter one more time, she felt a growing determination bloom in her chest until it bursted up from her throat. She folded it back up neatly and left the passage, letting the natural light of the sun illuminate the city instead of the single torch.

She sprinted down a blur of roads and halls until ultimately she found Zuko's office, which was currently only occupied by the man himself. The door opened with a force Ty Lee didn't know she was capable to giving until now.

Zuko's head shot up with a start at the noise. "What the-!" He looked to see a very determined Ty Lee walking straight towards him. "Ty Lee? What's going on?"

"Where's Azula?" She demanded, and he quickly holds his hands up.

"What do you mean? I thought you guys were talking?"

"She left, where would she be right now on a normal day?"

"The...arena I think?" He thinks out loud, and Ty lee is already turning around to head that way. "Wait a minute, what's happening Ty Lee?"

"No time to explain! Sorry!" She yells, breaking into a jog out of the room before proceeding to sprint out of the palace.

The arena wasn't far from the palace, only a few blocks or so. Ty Lee wouldn't have had any trouble getting there if there weren't  _ so many _ people out. Every time she turned a corner she'd run into another person, have to apologize, and then keeping zig zagging around the rest of them.

It was so... _ aggravating _ .

But Ty Lee was nothing if not determined, and she wasn't about to let the people of this city stop her from reaching Azula.

And eventually the sea of people parted, and the arena came into view, the stunning architecture captivating the brunette's attention until she remembered why she was here in the first place. She ran up to one of the stands and hid behind one of the structures poles.

A girl in royal red clothing that was most clearly Azula and a small child in a lighter pink with short hair that Ty Lee had never seen before.

Momentarily forgetting her mission, she watched. She had never thought that Azula would have become a mentor, but here she was, teaching a child to fire bend in the place where she had lost it all.

"Bend your knees more, try to get as low to the ground as possible for a better sense of gravity." She ordered, and circled around the girl as the child did as she was told. "Good, now preform the 3rd form. Do you remember it or do I need to demonstrate?"

Azula received and innocent look from the girl. "I remember, but can you do it anyway? You're so good at it!"

The princess was quiet for a moment, but ultimately sighed and stood parallel to the child. "Fine, watch closely okay?"

Ty lee watched with awe as Azula got into a pose exactly like the one the child was in and proceeded to execute a flurry of punches, taking a step with each one that shot icy blue fire out of them before leaning down into a perfectly diagonal position with either arm pointed straight out into the air and into the ground, a burst of fire flowing out from each end.

Once the fire was extinguished, Azula stood back upright and faced the child, who was squealing from her position.

"You're so cool Azula! I wanna be just like you!"

Ty Lee looked at Azula, and saw a small, frown on her face. It filled her with dread, knowing that Azula had to hear those kinds of things when the princess thought of herself as a monster.

"Trust me Kiyi, you don't want that. Now, your turn."

As she watched, she noticed that the kid, Kiyi, was good. A natural, even if she was so young. No wonder Azula had apparently decided to take the kid up as her protégée.

"It's wonderful, is it not?" A voice asked from behind her, and Ty Lee recognized it instantly, flipping around to see Ursa standing there with a kind smile on her lips.

"Ursa! It's so good to see you again!" Ty Lee smiled and the two shared a quick reuniting hug.

"And you as well, Ty Lee. You look well."

"I am! Things have been great with the Kiyoshi Warriors."

"Oh? Are you here with them?"

Ty Lee laughed, "No, their still back on Kiyoshi Island. I'm here for..." She looks back towards Azula, her eyes distant and fogged with memories of a time when they would play in the garden with Ursa watching over them. "...personal reasons."

Ursa, being the ever observant mother, put the pieces together all too quickly. "I see, then I suppose I should leave you two to it, shouldn't I?"

Ty Lee's face crinkled into confusion as Ursa looked out towards the two girls and shouted, "Kiyi! Time to go!"

Suddenly, Ty Lee's should was shoved downward and she fell to the floor, landing on her butt with an 'oomf'.

"But mom!" The child whined in a very high pitched voice. "I wanna stay with Azula!"

"Your father has planned a day out in the city, Kiyi. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

With a defeated groan, Kiyi says, "Can we do this tomorrow?"

"Of course." Came Azula's response. There was a pause, and Ursa leaned a little bit over to her and filled her in.

"They're hugging. Just give it a minute." She whispers and Ty Lee's brain shuts down.

Hugging?

Since when did Azula willingly hug people?

"Alright, that's enough. Now go and run along you little gremlin."

The acrobat giggles, that sounds about right for something Azula would say to a child.

"Bye Zula! See you at dinner!"

Quick, giddy footsteps traced their way over here and Ursa was tackled into a hug by Kiyi. Ty Lee watched as the child made eye contact with her, wonder in her eyes as the acrobat gave her a smile and put her index finger up to her mouth. The child nodded as if it was a game, and the two of them left, leaving her alone and hidden from Azula.

"Quit hiding Ty Lee, I know you're there."

Well,  _ thought _ she was hidden.

"Oh come on! How'd you know?" Ty Lee says, finally revealing herself to the fire bender with a pout.

Azula rolls her eyes, and Ty Lee can see it even from the far distance between them. "Please, I saw you staring during lessons. And my mother wasn't exactly subtle in shoving you down."

"Observant as always." She notes, walking over to the princess. "So, your teaching your sister fire bending?"

"Yes, the twerp didn't give me much of a choice." Azula grumbles, crossing her arms indignantly.

Ty Lee lets out a giggle. "She kind of sounds like you."

"What?! That's preposterous, I was never that annoying!"

It was cute seeing her so flustered. Ty Lee began to notice how much she liked non-perfect Azula.

"Well, maybe not annoying. But persistent? Definitely."

To everyone's surprise, Azula cracks a smile. The acrobat freezes and stares at awe at it, never seeing something so genuine on her face before.

Azula notices not long after and quickly reverts it back to its neutral frown. "Whatever. I have to go."

Azula quickly walks past her, not hesitating to not even give her so much of a bat of the eye. It angered Ty lee. They had just had a moment and Azula was trying to walk away like it hadn't even happened.

"That's it?" She turns to face Azula's ever farther back. "You really don't want to try and fix this?!"

"What's there to fix? Our entire friendship was based on a foundation of fear and lies." Azula shoots back, still not turning around to face her. Instead, she holds her hands out at either side of her with such nonchalantness, it enraged Ty Lee.

"Then what about the letter?!" She shouts, quickly grabbing it from her belt and waving it around. "Was that a lie too?!"

Azula stopped. "I didn't think you would read it." She said, almost too quietly for Ty Lee to hear. But she did, and it only fueled her aggravation.

"Of course I read it!" She snaps, and it almost amuses her the way Azula's eyes meet hers in shock. "Believe it or not, I care about you. I've missed you like crazy and when Mai told me everything that you said to her I..."

Her words die with her confidence to say them, and Azula just watches with that same, neutral, composed face she always wore. Ty Lee looks down, silently willing the tears to hold themselves back until Azula leaves.

Why had she come here? Did she really think it would be as easy as just coming, saying what she wanted and then everything would be fixed? It was Azula for christ's sake, things with her were never easy.

She was broken, trying to pick up the pieces and make herself into a better, more whole version of herself. But the problems were so deeply rooted into Azula that it was going to take a long time before she was truly okay.

But that letter. Why would Azula write that letter? Did she plan to string Ty Lee along only to break her down? That's possible, she supposes.

"Look." Ty Lee says, firm as she can even if her lip begins to quiver.

Step.

"If this is just another game to you,"

Step.

"If I'm a pawn in some master plan of yours,"

Step.

"Then tell me now. Because I don't think I could take that again."

Step.

Silence.

"So please just-"

A hand places itself on her cheek, and she gasps, whipping her head up to see none other than Azula, standing merely a foot away. Far too close for Ty Lee's brain to not short circuit.

"I need you to trust me-"

"Always." Ty Lee breathes, as if under a trance.

Azula flinches. "What did I expect, you  _ were _ always the easiest to manipulate." She mumbles and gently shakes Ty Lee out of her superstition.

Ty Lee blinks, and becomes conscious to the world once again. Damn, was she really that easy? She'd have to work on that if she was going to become part of Azula's life again. The acrobat focuses back on Azula, this time with a clear mind.

"But I'm not trying to do that now, though it would make it easier."

"Azula." Ty Lee warns firmly, and the princess cracks half a smile.

"I know, what I'm trying to get across here is that I'm not faking anything anymore. I'm too tired to do so anyway."

"Tired?"

The hand removes itself. "Lying, fighting, strategizing, all of it. After the Avatar dragged me back here I fell into a sort of laziness. It's become harder to get up and impossible to fall asleep."

The acrobat tenses up at the way that last sentence sounded. "Azula are you..."

Said princess perks up with a questioning hum before quickly realizing the way the words came out. "Ah. I see how you could have misinterpreted that. I assure you It's nothing of that nature."

Ty Lee lets out a breath of relief. "So then, the letter?"

"All real. I figured after I talked to Mai about you she'd send for you. You can figure out the rest from there."

And she could. The acrobat may act aloof, but she wasn't stupid. When it came to Azula she was very good at noticing the small, minute details. So it was easy picking up the pieces from there.

"I do have one question though."

Immediately intrigued by the softness of the princess's voice, Ty Lee hums in acknowledgement and waits for the question to be asked.

"Why don't you hate me?"

Oh.

Ty Lee's expression falls and a dreary gloom sets in. "I tried to. I tried so hard to hate you after all that you've done. But I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why?"

"That's two questions." Ty Lee jokes.

"Just answer the question."

The acrobat could hear the desperation and need in Azula's voice. She needed this. She needed to know why Ty Lee was truly here and that it wasn't some trick to play with Azula's already broken heart.

"Because deep down I knew it wasn't the real you. No person was inherently born evil or a monster. They are molded into it and I knew that was what happened to you. So even if I tried, I couldn't pin the blame on you."

"Then who did the blame fall on?"

Ty Lee gives a sad smile. "Myself."

Azula's shock was not misplaced, even as Ty Lee continued. "Mai. Zuko. Ursa. Ozai. Everyone who had ever been close to you all played a hand in your downfall, whether we knew it or not. You may have been born with the groundwork; sadism, manipulative, and a lack of empathy. But we created the demons that haunt you and did nothing to stop them from growing."

Azula, for the first time in Ty Lee's presence, was absolutely speechless. She could tell the princess hadn't expected this kind of answer. But a year was a long time, and Ty Lee had had plenty of time to think.

Azula may have been born with the traits of a villainous person, but that does not mean she was automatically one. Those traits would have needed to grow and be directed towards what she became, and that can only be blamed on the people around her.

Ozai, for his cruel, unforgiving lack of love towards his daughter, even when it was what she craved the most and what led to her fanatical ideology of perfectionism. Ursa, for failing to get the help Azula needed when she was still young and not fully developed and instead calling her a monster. Zuko, for unknowingly stealing the love Ursa gave him when it should have been given to Azula too, and making Azula believe that her mother didn't love her at all.

And then there was Mai and Ty Lee, who while innocent as they were, still played a hand in it all. They were an ego boost, a way for Azula to always hold herself up against everyone else. To put it simply, if the three of them were a pyramid, Mai and Ty Lee were the bottom. If the structure were to collapse, the two of them would take the fall, leaving Azula unscathed and unharmed.

So when Ty Lee and Mai betrayed her, Azula was knocked off her feet and fell to the ground, with no one there to pick her up.

Alone.

They had left her alone when she needed them most.

And when it was all over, when Azula was locked away in prison and Ty Lee was living out a new life on Kiyoshi Island, the guilt set in. The realization that she had left her 14 year old, traumatized, mentally unstable best friend and long time crush alone in what was basically a glorified asylum, filled her with unspeakable guilt.

The hurt that Azula had caused her washed away almost instantly, and all Ty Lee could feel was guilt, sadness, and crushing loneliness.

And what's worse? She couldn't even bring herself to go visit. She couldn't find the strength to face Azula in person, not after everything she'd helped to create. It may have made things worse, but it gave Ty Lee the time to accept what happened and become a new, better person.

And then Mai's letter arrived, and hearing of everything Azula had done over the past few months during her return to the palace lit her heart ablaze.

She was healing, Ty Lee thought. She was finally healing and picking herself up from the depths of the cold, dark, and lonely ocean her allies had thrown her into.

And she was doing it with the people who had hurt her most.

So in a foolish moment of unadulterated happiness and arrogance, she packed her bags and wrote a letter back to Mai saying she'd be in the fire nation within the week.

And a week later she was here, standing in front of a newer, more tired Azula. One which shined with uncertainty and radiated doubt.

"It's why I never visited." She explained, stopping her walk down memory lane and focusing on the princess in front of her. "The guilt was terribly heavy. That and there was the fact that you wouldn't have listened to a word I said anyway."

"Then what changed?" The fire bender spoke up.

"Mai's letter I suppose. For as doom and gloom as she is, she knows how to give a girl hope."

"Quite the paradox."

"Tell me about it." Ty Lee laughs. "One minute she curses the wood you walk on, the next she's telling you your former best friend said you mean as much to her as she did to you."

Azula frowns. "Ty Lee I-"

"You don't have to say sorry, I forgave you for everything a long time ago." She smiles, but Azula's frown only deepens.

"I was going to say I'm glad you came back."

"Oh." The acrobat forces out. "T-That's fine then."

"You  _ were _ always the impatient one in the group."

"Hey! I can be patient!" Ty Lee accuses playfully.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Azula grins at her, and turns to walk away once again. She gets three feet before Ty Lee finally lets it out.

"Fine! I'll wait for you! However long it takes!"

Azula freezes. "Don't, Ty Lee."

"Why not?" Ty Lee says firmly, tracing Azula's footsteps with a heated glare, circling around the princess's frozen body to see her eyes once again. "I don't care if you're a broken mess that doesn't know how to be a functional human being. I'll help you fill in the gaps. I'll stay awake with you through the nights. I'll practice with you like we did when we here kids. I'll teach you chi blocking like you always wanted. Just don't shut me out!"

By the end of her rant, Ty Lee's breaths are heavy and her head is pulsing from the adrenaline. And it's in that moment that she see's it.

A genuine smile, and tears of broken happiness.

"You're such an idiot Ty Lee. Why must you always go and give me hope?"

Forget winded, Ty Lee's breath is lost entirely. She can't help but smile at the beautifully catastrophic princess in front of her. Slowly, she takes Azula's hand and holds it between them.

"Because you deserve it." She says, with all the earnestness her heart can deliver. "You deserve to be happy too, and if I can make it happen, then I will."

She squeezes, and she feels a squeeze back, possibly tighter then the one she had given to Azula. It doesn't affect her. If anything, it empowers her to say her next words.

"I love you Azula. And if loving you tears me apart in the process, then so be it. I've always loved a good challenge."

She smirks at the choked up laugh she receives.

"I can't really argue with you there." Azula laughs, wiping her tear struck eyes. "Alright fine. If you think you can handle it, then I am yours."

Ty Lee beams. "Of course I can! By the end of this you'll be the Azula I know you can be!"

-

From there, Ty Lee's challenge was trying to decipher the broken pieces and put them back in the right place.

And it wasn't easy. Several nights were spent laying awake and comforting the princess. Ty Lee quickly learned that Azula had nightmares almost, if not every, night. This meant that either they would stay up talking about them, try to do something else to keep their mind off of it, or Ty Lee hugging Azula while the princess cried into her robes.

After about a month of this, Ty Lee learned that the nightmares were formed mostly of images of her mother or father either telling her she wasn't good enough or a monster.

"The one I hated feared I'd become a monster, and the one I looked up to feared I wouldn't be perfect. So I became just that, the perfect monster." Azula had mumbled through her tears one night.

The morning of, Ty Lee had a very long conversation with Ursa. By the end of it, she was left angrier then when she had come in, but at a completely different person.

Ozai.

The man was the spawn of most of Azula's character. The perfectionism, the high and mighty attitude, the reason why Azula saw her brother as a weakling. All of it was his doing. Some way or another he had had a hand in it all.

She had heard all about how Ozai pushed Azula to be the best. How when he caught wind of her natural talent for fire bending, he quickly favored her instead of Zuko and demanded perfection. He used her as a way to keep Ursa, as well as Zuko, in check, holding Azula up on a pedestal to them, always tearing them down with questions like, "Why can't you be as well mannered as her?" or, "Why haven't you advanced in your fire bending like Azula has?"

And Azula, ever the child, took the favoritism in stride. She grinned in arrogance and let it filter into the way she spoke to them as well. If her father could talk to them in that way, why couldn't the obviously better heir do so as well?

Needless to say, Ty Lee hated him.

And when she asked Azula if everything Ursa had said was true, Azula nodded silently and kept reading her book as if Ty Lee had merely asked for the time. It was infuriating to say the least.

So Ty Lee schemed.

She talked to Zuko, and they eventually came to the conclusion that the only way this was ever going to truly end was by getting Azula talk to Ozai.

Ty Lee had brought up the idea first, and Zuko had shut her down instantly. The idea of Azula and Ozai being in the same room together reminded them all too well of what happened when Zuko was looking for his mother.

Father and daughter. One a pure born monster, and the other a mirror image after it had been shattered.

So yes, Zuko despised the idea. But as Ty Lee explained, he came to see her side and reluctantly agreed so long as the brunette was stationed outside.

Then, when the time came for Azula to visit, the princess didn't budge from her seat at the desk where she worked on a treaty with the Earth Kingdom Zuko had asked her to write.

"No." She said firmly.

"What? But this will help!"

Her words fell on deaf ears. "I'm sorry, but I'm terribly busy with this treaty and I refuse to see him."

"And  _ I _ refuse to hear it! Come on, the treaty will still be there when you get back."

"Aren't you worried he'll convince me to help him escape? Or-"

Ty Lee cut her off with a smile. "Why would I be worried? I trust you."

Azula, even if Ty Lee couldn't see her face, was clearly flabbergasted as she dropped the quill on the desk. Ty Lee giggles.

"Oh come one, did you really not notice? I sleep in the same bed as you and you really can't find it in your heart to believe I trust you?"

"No...I guess I'm just shocked you really do."

"Why?" She asks.

"I don't deserve it."

A smile. "Then that's why you do deserve it."

"That makes no sense, Ty Lee."

"You haven't won my trust back deliberately. It's not up to you to decide who deserves my trust. So saying you don't deserve it makes me want to trust you all the more."

"So I won your trust by trying not to win your trust?" Azula asks, mind abuzz with confusion.

Ty Lee beams. "Exactly!"

"I see." The princess mumbles. "Alright fine. Let's go give my dear father a visit."

-

"Hello, daughter."

"Father."

Azula dreaded this. She didn't want to be here at all. Maybe she would have 5 months ago, but now this was the equivalent to the hurt Ty Lee had given her when she betrayed her.

And seeing him like this, looking at her with that same evil grin, even when his bending was taken and he'd been locked behind these bars, she felt herself being compelled to follow him.

Everything was bubbling back up. The expectations the man held her to, the burn marks that littered her back and arms, the way she saw him in her hallucinations. Everything that made her stand by her father and fight for him rushed back in and she felt like the same 14 year old princess she used to be.

She had half a mind to stand up there and leave. But Ty Lee's words held her down.

'But this will help!' Even in her head, Ty Lee's voice was ever so loud and chirpy. It both eased her nerves and aggravated them at the same time.

"I must admit I am surprised they allowed you to see me again."

"That makes two of us."

"So what's the plan?"

Azula twitches in anger. "What do you mean, father?" She bites out.

"My escape. What is the plan for my escape?" He reiterates. "I assume my followers have been in contact with you."

They had certainly tried. She remembered receiving several letters on her balcony, all with a signature 'O' and flame beside it. She recognized it as the New Ozai Society and read how they wanted her to join them in helping bring Ozai back to the throne.

She brought it to Zuko immediately, not wanting to have anything to do with the group. She was tempted, sure, it was still early on in her recovery but she realized that if she was caught there would be no other chances. She'd be put back in a prison or killed for her treason.

Azula holds her tongue back from yelling. "There is no plan. I'm not breaking you out of here."

"Of course you are. You are my daughter and will do as I ask.

Ah.

So this is why Ty Lee insisted on this.

Azula had always been Ozai's obedient daughter. The perfect, cunning, ruthless princess that could take down Bah Sing Se from the inside. She followed his orders to a T and without fail.

Ty Lee knew this, and took it upon herself to break the cycle.

Azula had to disobey him. Doing so would give her the closure to this part of her life. If she walked out of his shadow, and into the light Ty Lee was shining down towards her, she could start to begin anew.

She could be free.

"I won't." Azula says calmly, a shift from her angry attitude from earlier. Just by saying those two words, the air shifts and Azula can feel the power she held over the man begin to show.

"What did you say?" Ozai warns, voice threatening and terrifying.

Azula grins, towering over the man as his kneeling position caused him to look up at her. This was good. She had control. She was familiar with control, but never against her father. He was always the one person she could never control. Who always controlled her.

"I said I won't. You're going to rot in this cell for the rest of your life." She turns around and heads for the door.

"You wouldn't dare."

"What are you going to do? Stop me? You don't exactly have your bending anymore. And your weak from being in this cell for over a year. So yes, I do dare." She knocks on the door, signaling that she wants it opened.

"I made you! You owe me your life!"

His composure was gone, and he was standing now, hands on the bars with a firm grip and a raging expression plastered on his face.

The door opens, and Ty Lee enters into the picture with a curious face.

Azula paused in the door way, and looked back at Ty Lee. She held up her finger as if to say 'one moment' and walked back over to her father, keeping a proper distance so her couldn't reach and grab her.

"Yes, you did make me. You made me into a monster and I hate you for it. I owe you nothing, merely these parting words."

In that instant he reaches for her, but the tip of his middle finger falls just short of her neck. She doesn't flinch, merely grins. Azula can hear Ty Lee shuffle to move in but she raises a hand to stop her.

Then, that hand moves to grab the fire-shaped crown in her top knot. She takes it out, and in the process the bun falls down and her hair lays bare across her shoulders.

She holds the crown in her palm, and looks at it briefly.

"This crown, you gave it to me when I was a child. You said I would be the best of the best. Better than Zuko, better than anyone. I took it, and believed you."

She remembered the day vividly. The way Ozai crouched down to hand it to her, and the proud smile that dawned his face. She often thought of it as a happy memory, something to look back on as proof that Ozai did care for her more than anyone else. But now, she knew it was all a lie, just a way for him to use her for his own personal gain.

Guess it runs in the family.

Still, it was so deeply engrained into her mind that she knew she wouldn't ever forget it.

"But now I see the truth." She continues. "A princess doesn't demand loyalty, she earns it. And because of you, I have a long way to go before I earn it. In fact, I have a long way to go before I feel I deserve to earn it."

She glances back at Ty Lee, who has a kind, encouraging smile directed towards her.

"But I'm willing to try." She turns and meets his raging eyes, seeing the fire in them. "I'm done playing your fanatical game of world domination. From now on, I am Princess Azula, second in command and advisor to Fire Lord Zuko."

She drops the crown, and it clatters against the stone beneath her feet.

And just like that, the weight that her father bore down on her for 15 years finally lifts, and Azula had never felt lighter in her life.

"Goodbye, Ozai. This is the last time you'll be seeing me."

She turns and walks away, ignoring her fathers incessant roars of shouts and curses. Ty Lee follows her out, and shuts the door behind her, silencing the man's voice.

"Well, I think that went well!" Ty Lee chirps happily.

Azula hums distantly, mind on something completely different. "Ty Lee?"

"Yeah?" She asks immediately.

"Would you mind if I did something impulsive?" Came her response, and Ty Lee tilts her head.

"Sure? What is it?"

Azula quickly turns around and grabs Ty Lee by the collar, pulling her in for a kiss Ty Lee never thought she's receive. It was messy, inexperienced, and oh so sweet. To anyone else, it would have been awkward or out of character for the perfect princess.

To Ty Lee, it was perfect.

She reciprocated happily, wrapping her arms around Azula's built shoulders and pulling her in closer. Allowing Azula to find her rhythm and pace, which the princess seemed to find fairly quickly.

They parted, and Azula was the first to back away fully, trying to read Ty Lee's expression. All she found was something related to complete and utter bliss.

"Was that okay?" She asks quietly, and Ty Lee hums dreamily.

"More than okay." She mumbles and looks at Azula, eyes sparkling. "It was perfect."

Azula cracks a smile. "I thought we were straying away from me being perfect?"

"Yeah, but in this case we'll make an exception."

"You're such an idiot."

"Your idiot." Ty Lee corrects and Azula lets out a huff.

"Who knew you'd be this submissive after one kiss." She mutters. "If I had known that I'd have done it years ago."

Ty Lee hums and pulls Azula in for a lazy hug, one that Azula reciprocates, to her surprise. "That'd just be downright cruel. Your first kiss taken away all because you needed to manipulate me?"

"Wouldn't have been so bad. Not everything was a lie." Azula mumbles into her shoulder, resting her forehead on it.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Ty Lee asks, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Our friendship may have been based on threats and lies, but the feelings I harbored for you weren't. Why do you think I did all of that to get you out of the circus and with me?"

"So you nearly killed me as a display of affection?"

"I suppose so. Sorry."

The words came so lightly, and Ty Lee could feel just how different Azula was.

The expectations her father held for her were gone, left in that cell along with the crown Azula had dropped so symbolically. Azula was free to walk a new path, free from her fathers watchful gaze and to do as she liked.

And apparently that meant one with Ty Lee present.

She certainly wasn't complaining.

"Don't be! It's kind of endearing, you know?"

"Almost killing you?"

"No! I mean even if your methods were a little...extreme, you still wanted me by your side."

"Ah."

"Come on, let's get out of this place. It's all stuffy and I don't like the idea of your father being just on the other side of the wall."

They both glanced at the door and winced. "Yes, agreed. Let's go." Azula said and they quickly made their way out of the prison.

When the light of the sun finally hit their bodies, Azula sighed. Ty Lee watched her soak it in as if it were giving her strength, which, as a fire bender, it was.

"How do you feel?" She asks, and Azula smiles.

"Free."

-

As they ascended the flight of stairs up to the palace, Ty Lee took a strand of Azula's hair and let it fall off her fingers. The princess had cut the frontal pieces of it so that they stopped just above of her ears, probably a momento from when she had cut it in a mad rage. The rest flowed freely down her back, it's silky, black look giving it the appearance of ink running down Azula's spine. Azula noticed and gave her a questioning raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing, just, have you ever considered wearing your hair down instead of in that top knot? It's so pretty."

"If I have to then so do you." Azula shoots, pointedly staring at the braided pointy tail Ty Lee adorned.

"You don't like my braid?" Ty Lee pouts, running her hand down the braid and feeling the bumps and folds of her handiwork.

"I said nothing of the sort, I'm merely leveling the playing field."

"It's hair, Azula. Not war."

Azula shrugs. "Fine, I'll wear it down more. But I'm keeping it up for meetings."

"Deal!" The acrobat beams, making Azula smile at her.

When they reach the inside of the palace, Zuko and Ursa are waiting for them, along with Kiyi, who latched herself onto Azula the moment the doors opened.

Azula, having no problem carrying the girl, allowed the child to stay in her arms as they talked over everything that happened.

Well, everything but the kiss. That, the two left to themselves.

"So you basically told him you hated him, never wanted to see him again, and did it without breaking down?" Zuko asks, not quite believing it.

"Ask Ty Lee. She saw most of it." Azula says in such a nonchalant manner, instead focused on Kiyi who was showing off some fire bending tricks to the princess.

"Yup! It was awesome!" She chirps, and Zuko seems to believe it after Ty Lee vouches.

"Alright, well, did you say everything you need to?"

"He can rot in that cell for the rest of eternity. I couldn't care less." Was Azula's reply.

Her brother raised an eyebrow, straying away from that conversation in favor of a new one. "By the way, what's with your hair? Wasn't it up when you left?"

"I'm changing things up. Why? Think I'm gonna steal your angsty teenager look?"

"You almost never wear it down. I was just curious."

"What's that saying you goody goodies always say? New day, new me?"

"You're unbelievable. How can you change so much and still be the same?"

"I'm an enigma. It's part of my charm."

Zuko sighs, and a guard comes over and whispers something in his ear. He nods to them and excuses himself to go to a meeting with the generals. They all wish him luck, Azula teasing him with a, "Don't speak out of turn this time, Zuzu!" Which got a loud "Shut up, Azula!" back.

Azula snickered, and the rest laughed except for Kiyi, who didn't understand the joke. Ursa gave her a scolding about the sensitivity of the joke, but her choked down laughter made it hard for Azula to take her seriously.

All it took was Azula coming to terms with it all to change the atmosphere of the entire family. With Azula free from her father's shadow, she could laugh and joke about him all day. And the others were more than willing to join, not wanting to miss a chance to ridicule the old man and leave the past to the past.

Ty Lee watched with joy as the princess carried her sister off with her mother, and then with shock as Azula turned back to face her with a smile and her other hand outstretched to her.

"You coming?"

Offered, not demanded.

As much as her heart swells, Ty Lee hesitates, not wanting to ruin the family moment. "You sure?"

"You know I don't ask twice." Azula's face hardened and Ty Lee quickly gets the picture, jogging over to the three royals and taking Azula's hand with a smile. All four of them made their way down the halls, talking about whatever came up until they reached Ursa's bedroom.

Kiyi climbed down from her place on Azula's shoulders. At some point she had gotten there, though no one can really remember when, not even Azula.

"Can we train after dinner Zula?" Kiyi asked in the doorway to the bedroom, and Azula gave a grin.

"We can, if mother here allows us." To that, all heads turn to Ursa who seems to ponder it.

"Fine, but I don't want you out more than 2 hours."

Kiyi groans and Azula merely nods. They agree to see each other at dinner and Ty Lee and Azula break away from the other two. Together, hand in hand, they walk back to Azula's room in a comforting silence. It's only when Azula shuts the door behind them does she finally speak.

"I don't think I've ever experienced this before." She says, and Ty Lee tilts her head.

"Experienced what?"

"Happiness." Was her answer. "I've never felt so truly happy before in my life."

"Azula..."

"I have everything I ever wanted. A position of power, the love of my mother, a decent relationship with my brother," Azula paused for a moment before finishing with, "You."

Ty Lee could feel the tears welling in her eyes as Azula spoke.

"It doesn't seem real. Any of it. I keep waiting to wake up in a cold prison cell with no one for company. But it never comes."

Azula looked into Ty Lee's eyes, desperately searching for an answer she hadn't yet asked for.

"Is this real?" She says with the most need Ty Lee had ever heard her speak with. "Tell me with all honesty if this what you truly want. Because if its not then I'll leave."

Ty Lee openly gapes at Azula. The mere idea that Azula would ever say something so earnest and unlike her was dumbfounding.

"I know this is sudden but I want this. I want you here with me, but if you want to go back to the Kiyoshi Warriors then I'll respect that. Just tell me now so I don't fall apart again when you have to leave."

Ty Lee hadn't even thought of that. He eyes widened at the realization that, sooner or later, she'd have to return to Kiyoshi Island.

She was at a loss for words. What could she tell her? She didn't want to leave Azula, not after everything that they'd gone through these past months. Azula needed her, and leaving her now would only throw her back down the rabbit hole.

Even now, Azula seemed to be cracking under the idea that Ty Lee would leave her once again. It was written in her eyes, the slight twitch they made in fear of not having Ty Lee here to help her through it all.

And even if they made a huge step today in Azula's recovery, she wasn't automatically healed. The roots of her trauma weren't all Ozai, maybe most of it, but not all. She would need the love and support of everyone around her to get through this, and that included Ty Lee.

And just like that, her mind was made up.

"I want this, Azula." She says, taking Azula's hand in hers and feeling it tense up in her own. "I'm not leaving any time soon."

"Promise?" The princess asks, hope now sparkling in those eyes. Ty Lee smiles, already formulating a well thought out letter to send to Suki after this.

"I promise."

-

That night, while Azula was off with Kiyi, Ty Lee wrote a letter to Suki summarizing everything that had happened.

_ Dear Suki, _

_ I hope you all are well. Sorry I took so long to write, it's been a busy couple of months. Things have been going great her in the Fire Nation. Azula is doing really well in her recovery and theres only been a few issues with the New Ozai Society. _

_ In fact, that's the main reason for this letter. See, I think I want to stay here. _

_ I know this might seem sudden but me and Azula are reconnecting. And as dangerous as that may seem to you, it's not to me. _

_ So I have two options ready, either I leave the Kiyoshi Warriors, or we can work out an arrangement to have me be set as Azula's personal body guard. And if you find something else? Great! It doesn't matter to me, so long as I get to stay here with her. _

_ I'm not leaving her again, not when she's doing so much better. _

_ I hope you'll understand. _

_ Ty Lee. _

She looked her handiwork with pride, and once the ink had dried she rolled it up, tying it with a red ribbon and heading out of her room.

When she walked into Zuko's study she found the Fire Lord talking with Mai about who knows what.

"Hey guys!" She says happily, skipping over to where they were, ignoring the raised eyebrows she got.

"Hello Ty Lee, can I do something for you?" Zuko replies.

"I was just wondering if there are any free messenger hawks. I need to send a letter to Suki." Came her reply, and he nods.

"There should be one or two left in cages. You're welcome to use one."

"Thanks! I'll see you guys later!"

And with that she left, heading down to the eastern side of the palace and to where the pigeon cages were kept. Upon entering, she immediately found one near the open window. She walked over to it and opened the cage, petting it softly as a sign of affection before placing the scroll in the little pouch on its chest.

She gave the bird instructions that would lead it to Kiyoshi Island, and soon was watching it fly off across the glittering water in the warm sunset. She sighed, and made her way back to Azula's room.

When she got inside, she found Azula already there, beginning to shed her wrinkled training robes.

"You're back already?" Ty Lee questioned and Azula hums.

"Kiyi fell asleep in the middle of a form." She replied, and Ty Lee could help the laugh that bubbled through her throat. "Nearly gave me a heart attack..."

That last part was meant to have been muttered for Azula's ears only, but Ty Lee had become quite adept at hearing the slightest of sounds due to her time with the Kiyoshi Warriors.

She kept her mouth shut though, merely smiling at the idea of Azula so worried for her sister. She bounced over to her own drawer and pulled out her night robes.

"What's got you so happy?"

Ty Lee peaks around her shoulder to see Azula's shirt gone, the only piece of clothing on her top half being the bra of bandages every fire bender was made to wear during exercise or combat. Her lower half was still covered by her baggy, breathable training pants, but the sight of Azula's bruised, scarred, and highly toned body made Ty Lee feel multiple emotions at once. The most obvious one being arousal.

Her face flushes and she turns away from the exceptional view, trying her best to choke out a response. "Just went to go talk with Mai and Zuko is all."

"Their hardly the types to make anyone happy."

"They have their moments."

Then, silence. They got ready for bed quietly, the only noises filling the room were the shuffling of clothes and feet, and the covers being pulled to make way for the two girls.

And just like every other night, Ty Lee settles upwards in a sitting position, her back against the bed frame while Azula does the same. Then, with a flick of her hand, the fire that lit up the room turned blue for a mere second before vanquishing completely.

"I love watching you do that." Ty Lee says in awe, but rubbing her eyes to show her drowsiness.

"It's child's play compared to some of the other things I can do."

"And those being...?"

Azula raises an eyebrow at Ty Lee's words, knowing full well the acrobat knew what she was capable of. Nonetheless, she indulges Ty Lee and holds up her hand, snapping her fingers. A small, blue flame erupts at the point of her index finger.

Compared to Azula's aggressive fighting style, and the way she throws her flames with such anger and rage, this small, serene looking flame is a stark contrast.

Fire usually bends it's own will, flickering and waving about in whichever way it chooses, but this flame bends to the winds. It flaps harshly when a strong breeze flows by and threatens to be extinguished if the person carrying the flame isn't careful.

"I've always wondered why it's blue." Ty Lee says. "Don't get me wrong, I love that it's blue. But why isn't it red like everyone else's?"

Azula lets the flame flicker out and she rests her head on the backboard, looking up towards the ceiling. "I suppose because I perfected it."

The silence told Azula to continue her explantation.

"Fire has oxygen in it, that's what gives it it's red hue. But in it's pure, perfect state, it is blue. I suppose I refined my fire bending to the point where it was, quite literally, perfect."

Ty Lee takes a moment to ponder it, and supposes it makes sense. Azula was a perfectionist to a fault, so it's only natural that her flame be held to that standard as well.

"One can never know for certain though. It's merely a guess."

"I think it's cool." Ty Lee shrugs. "You're the only fire bender to have blue flames. How that came to be makes no difference to the fact that you have them."

"I suppose you're right." Azula says distantly. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

They both lay down facing each other, and Ty Lee takes the time to fondle with Azula's hair that was so beautifully splayed out. Azula lets her, merely closing her eyes and letting sleep and Ty Lee's comforting touch consume her until she is no longer conscious.

The acrobat takes a moment to look at Azula's sleeping face. If one didn't know the backstory behind the girl, one would say she looked peaceful. The way her lips parted slightly, allowing her slumbering breath to peak through, and her closed eyelids showing no signs of discomfort, the way her hands lays near her face, curled up just at cheek level.

Ty Lee smiles, she was beautiful.

-

Azula is a light sleeper. That was a given.

Even the slightest change in the breeze could wake her up. So when she heard her door creaking open, she immediately shot up, eyes scanning the room, fully alert.

And she found nothing, not even her door was opened. Maybe she was hallucinating, Azula thought. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Cautiously, she lays back down with narrowed eyes and tries to fall back asleep.

Minutes pass, and Azula does her best not to move an inch. She has to make it look believable.

Azula isn't sure how long she stays that way, but eventually the door creaks open again, confirming that Azula was not hallucinating. And now that she is fully awake, she can concur from the direction of the noise that it was actually the door to her balcony.

"Get the girl." She hears a mans voice mutter quietly. "Leave the princess."

No.

Rage fills Azula's body, and she has to fight every nerve in her body not to move.

They were after Ty Lee.

She counts the footsteps, and concludes 7 pairs. They had spread themselves out across the room. One near the main door, two still at the balcony, and two on each respective end of the bed.

Everything goes silent for exactly 2 seconds. And in those two seconds, Azula concludes three things.

One, that these men were going to die tonight.

Two, Ty Lee was not going to be hurt.

And three, her flames were about to be used for something other than Kiyi's tutoring session.

Those couple of seconds pass, and Azula shoots her hands up, circling them around expertly before shooting them out towards the men on either side of the the. A cacophony of flames shoot out, sending the men flying into the walls behind them.

Azula quickly jumps out of the bed, leaving Ty Lee to gasp awake at the rough smell of ozone flooding the room. Her eyes dart open, fully awake and scanning what's happening. She quickly follows Azula and stands at guard, arms out in a defensive positions as the remaining men get into their own positions.

"Who are they?" Ty Lee asks, voice still full of sleep.

"Don't know. Don't care." Was all Azula says before proceeding to shoot out flurries of fire balls at the men. She only has one objective right now, and that's to protect Ty Lee. At all costs.

Ty Lee, anticipating which men Azula would and wouldn't strike, heads for the remaining men and dodges around their attacks with flexible ease. She chi blocks their arms, disabling their bending from them before twisting around to the back to hit the pressure point there, making them collapse to the ground.

She looks up to see another man unconscious on the ground at Azula's feet, while the other was being held against the wall rather harshly.

"Who are you people?!" Azula orders, and the man groans when Azula twists his wrist that was being held behind his back.

"Long live Fire Lord Ozai!" He proclaims, and Azula merely shoves him into the wall harder.

"So my father sent you here? Why?"

"You've forgotten your place. You must be taught a lesson."

"How about I teach you one instead? What happens when a lowly traitor gets himself caught in the princess's chambers?"

He doesn't answer, which results in Azula grinning sadistically. Ty Lee watches, paralyzed by fear of what's about to happen.

"Would you like a demonstration? Here, let me show you." Azula says, and pushes her palm into the mans cheek. Then, the princess uses her fire bending and directs into directly into her palm, letting the heat simmer straight onto the mans face.

The man screams out in agony, feeling the unrestrained heat of Azula's fire melt the skin off his face.

"Azula stop!" Ty Lee shouts, and pulls the princess off the man. Once she does so, she quickly paralyzes the man as she had done the other.

Ty Lee watches him fall, and see's the mark Azula had left on his cheek, still red and inflamed by sensitivity.

"I knew it." Azula mutters, and Ty Lee flips around to face Azula. "It's all still there. I'm still a monster. I nearly-"

"Stop." Ty Lee begs, quickly pulling Azula into an embrace, even if she's still shaking from the fear and adrenaline of the situation. "You're not a monster. You were protecting yourself, that's all."

"Then why did I still do that? Why did I enjoy it?" Azula says, as if begging for a reason other than the one she had come to accept as the truth.

"Some things don't go away easily, Azula. It's going to take time." Ty Lee gave for an answer, and Azula seemed to accept it.

"They were here for you." Azula says, and Ty Lee tenses up. "My guess is that Ozai ordered them to come kill you after he saw you with me at the prison. I knew it was a bad idea, I should have never gone to see him."

The acrobat grits her teeth. Everything had been going so well. Azula was smiling more, joking with the others and-

The others.

"We have to tell the others. Their could be other's in the palace." Ty Lee says, pulling out of the hug. The realization flashes through Azula's features and they rush over to the door, opening it to find the two guards stationed outside knocked unconscious.

"Agni..." Azula mutters. "You go to Ursa and her family, I'll go to Zuko and Mai."

Azula goes to run, but Ty Lee stops her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back towards Ty Lee so that the acrobat can place a kiss on the princess's lips.

It's brief, and they both wish it could have lasted longer, but it can't. So Ty Lee settles for words.

"You're not a monster. Not to me. Remember that."

Azula grins. "You're cute when you're worried. Don't worry, we can hash this out later. For now, we both have people to see."

And with that, they both sprint down opposite sides of the hall.

Ursa was closer to Azula's room, so Ty Lee got their quickly, opening the door to find it empty except for the people supposed to be there. They shot awake at the sound of the door, and demanded explanations while Ty Lee searched every nook and cranny of the room.

"The New Ozai Society attacked me and Azula, she told me to come and check on you while she went to Zuko." She answered, and the three of them all share similar looks of shock. Ty Lee ignores it in favor of heading to the balcony.

Opening it she gets down low, ready in case anyone jumps out, but upon checking the walls above and below the balcony, it is made clear that no one is coming for Ursa's family.

She goes back inside, making sure to close and lock the door behind her before turning to the family.

"Nobody's here, but I'd prefer you come with me so we can meet with Azula and Zuko."

She didn't want to take a chance, she needed to keep the family in her sights in case the assassins were planning on coming later. Plus, Azula and Zuko would never forgive her if she let something happen to their mother and niece's family.

So they left the room, Ursa holding a still sleep-worn Kiyi in her arms and Ikem with an arm wrapped around his wife. Quickly, and as silently as she could, she led the three of them to where the Fire Lords chambers were.

She held up a hand to stop them from walking any further, and crept up to the door to hear any fighting. She heard nothing, just piercing silence that gave her no incentive to quell the worry bubbling in her.

She looked back to Ursa and mouthed, 'Wait here.' The royal nodded, and Ty Lee opened the door quietly, peaking into the room. She was immediately met with a man lying at the door, preventing her from opening it any further.

Panic set in, and she immediately busted the door open, taking the man with her and letting his body slide across the floor. She scanned with wide eyes to find several, maybe 9 men splayed out across the floor, unconscious with blue flames still burning some part of their clothes and the ground.

Upon looking away from them, she found Azula standing over one of them, breathing heavily with rage in her eyes, the light of her icy blue flames reflecting off her pupils as if their were a part of them.

Still in bed sat Mai and Zuko, wide eyed and speechless as they stared at the girl.

"Azula." Ty Lee says softly, breaking the princess's focus off the men. Not looking back, she raises a hand behind her to signal it was safe for the family to come in, and so they followed her inside.

They were grateful Kiyi had fallen back asleep so she didn't have to see the display.

Azula looks up at her and lets out a sigh, but from relief or exhaustion, she couldn't tell.

"Did you find any with them?"

Ty Lee merely shakes her head.

"Good. Zuko," Azula says, turning her head to face the man who was now getting out of bed. "I want a full ground sweep of the palace, as well as all of these men to be locked in cells. Leave one in the interrogation room for me in the morning."

"Do we know who ordered the attack?" Zuko asks, tying his robe so that his chest wasn't out for viewing.

"Our dear father, it would seem."

Zuko's shock wears off after a moment, and grasps the seriousness of the attack and why Azula was callinng for such measure. "Alright, I'll do as you've requested."

"Oh, and the men outside my door have been taken out of commission. I'll need new ones."

"Understood."

And with that, Azula turns around and leaves, leaving everyone to process what just happened.

Azula has always been one to handle intense situations with ease. She's still cool and collected as ever and knows exactly what procedures to take. So it's only natural that an assassination attempt would be the same as someone else cutting their finger open on accident. She knows exactly what to do and how to take care of it.

Still, that doesn't mean everyone else was as equipped as she was.

"Can someone tell me what just happened?" Mai says from her spot on the bed.

Right, she and Zuko had only recently gotten back together, so she's been out of the palace for the past few assassination attempts.

Zuko answers for them all. "An assassination attempt. And Azula seemed to have saved all of our lives."

Everyone goes silent, the air thick enough they could cut it with a knife. There had been attempts before, but Azula had never stepped in on them or come to aid Zuko in defeating them.

It wasn't her business.

But now that Ty Lee had been put in danger...She had been willing to fight a full battalion of men all by her lonesome.

A realization struck her.

There was no way, not even Azula, would have fought that many men and come out unscathed. Azula had been out of the fight for months, she was rusty when it came to actual people. And when she thought back to it, Azula's words were rushed and sharp, as if begging Zuko to just do as she says so she could leave.

"I have to go." Ty Lee breathed, as if an after thought.

"What? Why? We need to lock down the place, you can't go anywhere." Zuko demanded, and Ty Lee merely shakes her head.

"I'm not leaving the palace, promise."

She turns and leaves, nobody stopping her as she takes off down the hallways.

She's checking every side, every inch of the surrounding area. She couldn't have gotten far if what Ty Lee assumes is correct. So she keeps running, keeps searching.

Until finally, she finds her.

Azula, dead ahead from where Ty Lee stands, is walking ever so stiffly to her bedroom, this final hall being the last stretch before she reaches her destination.

"Azula-" Ty Lee says, and it seems it's loud enough for the princess to here because she stops walking in her measly excuse of an unharmed body.

"Lee, how good of you to be here."

The nickname alone gives her whiplash. It brings back several memories of private nights spent in Azula's chambers, giggling about who knows what and playing games all throughout the night.

The drowsy and dazed slur of her words does nothing to help either, but it shocks Ty Lee out of her superstition enough to realize that the princess is on the brink of collapsing. That combined with the rigid posture, drooping eyelids, and messy stance was enough to tell Ty Lee that she needed to get Azula somewhere other than the middle of a hallway.

"Do you mind accompanying me to my room?" Again, the slur of formal words that leave her mouth propel Ty Lee forward to make her way over to the princess.

She quickens her pace when she see's Azula's eyes drooping fully closed, and her posture beginning to slack.

Then, she's falling, and Ty Lee breaks out into a full blown sprint, able to catch the girl by sliding on her knees to cushion the princess's blow.

"Azula!" She yells, shaking the girl to try and keep her awake, but it doesn't seem to be working.

She quickly checks over her body for injuries, and nearly misses the darker red spot on the lower part of her stomach. She holds a finger to it, and sure enough, her finger is died a dark red color, one she knew to be blood.

Her heart leaps into her throat, threatening to jump out at the feeling of Azula's blood on her fingers.

Azula has never been injured in Ty Lee's presence. Not even a tiny scratch when they were children. She was always in perfect health.

"I'm fine, really-" Azula is cut off by a groan of pain, quickly clutching her side to try and help relieve it. "Okay, maybe not." She concedes.

Ty Lee ignores her rambles, and quickly picks her up off the ground, carrying her the remaining distance to their room and making her way to lay the girl on the bed.

The acrobat knew Azula's room like the back of her hand. She knew what every drawer contained, what clothes laid in every closet. So she knew exactly where Azula's emergency kit was.

Upon pulling out the box, Ty Lee finds all sorts of equipments, from bandages to scalpels. What need did Azula have for all this kind of stuff? Was she really this prepared for anything?

Still, she turns back to the princess's stomach and opens up the robe, finding the gash in her side. Once again, the urge to throw up fills Ty Lee's senses and she feels tears sting the corner of her eyes.

She turns away to look back at the box, willing her eyes to focus on the items inside and find what she needs but she can't. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't, the full force of what was happening finally hitting her.

The tears escape, and trail down onto the bedspread she leaned over.

Then, a hand on her shoulder made her flinch away in shock. She looked with wide, teary eyes to find Mai standing there, face neutral as she looked at Azula's condition.

"I knew it." Mai said, immediately starting to get the proper items out of the box. "Get me a bowl of water and a cloth Ty Lee. Now."

Ty Lee quickly follows her orders, heading into the connecting room that she knew to be the bathroom. When she returns with said items, Mai is slapping Azula roughly. A spike of anger rushes through Ty Lee at the action, but upon hearing Azula cackle, she figures it was for a different reason then irritation.

She sets it on the stand next to Azula and turns to Mai. "Now what?"

"Wash the area, we need to clear the blood out of the way to properly access the wound."

Ty Lee does so, meeting some resistance from Azula, but once the princess's see's it's Ty Lee doing it, she relaxes as best she can and tells the acrobat to get on with it.

Together, Mai and Ty Lee successfully treat Azula's wound and finally allow Azula to sleep, the threat of her dying from loss of blood gone.

Ty Lee takes it upon herself to watch her while Mai packs up the kit and place it back where it belonged.

"So you two are doing well?" Mai's voice cuts through the silence like one of her knives. She had been hauling the unconscious or dead men out of their room for the past few minutes so that when the guards came for them they wouldn't barge in on the three of them.

Ty Lee nods, her eyes refusing to look away from Azula's face as she takes one of the princess's hands in her own, rubbing her thumb softly over the back of it.

"More than well it seems." Mai notes, watching Ty Lee's display of affection.

The acrobat face flushes a deep red. "It's been rough, but I love her. And I think she finally seems to be believing it."

"That's good, not that I care."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"A poor attempt at conversation."

Ty Lee laughs, and gives Azula's hand a tiny squeeze. "How you manage to draw in boys will always mystify me."

"They love the charms of a woman who does not give a shit."

"Careful Mai, you'll make Zuko drool."

The raven haired woman cracks a smile, and Ty Lee giggles lightly. They stay that way, Mai staring at the two women at the bed and Ty Lee at Azula. It's nice, almost like it used to be, but better. Minus Azula's wound, of course.

"I'll tell Zuko about Azula, and get those guards posted outside your door. Get some rest."

Ty Lee nods. "Thank you, I mean it." She says softly, looking to meet Mai's eyes. "I don't think I could have done it."

"Perk of being an uncaring bitch, blood doesn't faze me."

"Even when it's the person you love the most's?"

"Yes." Was Mai's response.

Ty Lee hums, leaving it at that and looking back to Azula's face, which seems to be frowning a bit. Mai takes it as her signal to leave, shutting the door as quietly as she can, taking the last intruder with her.

Ty Lee stays, watching as Azula begins to shuffle and groan in her sleep. The acrobat has come to recognize it as the signs of another nightmare.

She sighs, couldn't the universe give Azula a break for just one night?

Apparently not, because a couple minutes later Azula is shooting awake, eyes bulging out of the socket and sitting up quickly. Though, doing so sends a sharp spike of pain through her side, making her yelp out. Ty Lee helps coax her back down to a level pgpgfwould have taken her away...

"But you did." Ty Lee decided, crawling in the bed and wrapping her arm around the princess. "I'm here, alive and well."

"Yes..." Azula said, and unconsciously leans into the acrobats touch. "You are."

Ty lee smiles at the warmth that floods her body. Azula never had to say it, she always showed Ty Lee. Even if she didn't mean to, the way she didn't pull away to Ty Lee's affection showed Azula trusted her enough to let her do so. And just tonight, the way Azula had taken out the men so swiftly when she heard they were planning to take Ty Lee. It was more than enough proof that Azula loved her and cherished more than anything else.

"Ty Lee?" Azula murmurs, and said girl hums in acknowledgement. "I believe I called you Lee at some point. Was that overstepping?"

There it was again, the warmth that Ty Lee received when she was shown that Azula cared for her. Cared to ask if something was crossing a line. Always making sure it was okay with Ty Lee before doing anything.

"No, it was nice to hear it again." Ty Lee responds.

"So you wouldn't mind me using it more often?"

"Of course not, Zula."

This time, the nickname was met with no resistance or backlash. Rather, Azula merely hummed and leaned into Ty Lee more.

Bliss. That's the only word she could find to describe this moment. That, and maybe heavenly.

In their own way, this was perfect. Nobody else would be this serene after watching their loved one get injured, but with the life both of them had, it seemed like a minuscule detail.

So to lay here in bed, late into the night with just the two of them for company, it was bliss. And it was only made better when Azula took Ty Lee's hand in her own, intertwining them with a gentle squeeze.

"Lee?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it still made Ty Lee's heart race in her chest.

"Yeah?" She says, trying to not sound as happy as she did. Oh well, it can't be helped sometimes.

"I love you too."

She's gone. Whatever heart beat she had just exceeded past anything healthy and was now hammering to the roof in joy.

Azula had never spoken those words. She was pretty sure the princess had never even thought them about someone. The only person Ty Lee could have heard something similar to it was when she talked about her admiration for her father. And even then it wasn't from a loving standpoint. She respected who he was and what he did, love wasn't a part of the equation with Ozai.

So to hear Azula, the girl who thought herself an unlovable monster, say that she loved Ty Lee? Let's just say she nearly screamed in happiness.

"I love you too, so much. So much more than you know."

"You're an idiot." Azula mumbles. "Why would you love me?"

Ty Lee hugs her closer, burying her face into Azula's black locks. "Because you're strong, stronger than anyone I've ever met. Strong enough to face you're mistakes and trauma even if it hurts and breaks you down to the tiny little girl you were when it all started."

"It certainly feels that way." The princess mutters.

"But," Ty Lee continues. "I still love you anyway. No matter what monster you think you are, you'll always be the girl who offered me friendship when no one else would. The girl who defended me from bullies and played with me in the gardens, even if you bullied me a little too."

She couldn't see it, but she could hear the smile in Azula's voice. "To be fair, I was jealous of you."

"See?" Ty Lee grins. "You have reasons to why you became a ruthless soldier. You aren't a monster, Azula. Merely an insecure girl who would do anything to please her father. Even if that meant losing yourself in the process."

Azula's quiet, but the hand that holds hers tightens, signaling that Azula listened and wasn't ignoring her.

"Let's get some sleep, you need it after all that happened tonight." Ty Lee says, her voice resembling something between an offer and a command. Enough to show that Ty Lee wasn't being harsh, but firm enough to prove she wanted Azula to so.

So they did, once again lying down with Azula's back to the mattress as to not aggravate her wound. She couldn't do much else, lest she want to move too much and cause her wound to start bleeding again.

To compensate, Ty Lee wraps an arm around Azula's waist and places her head just above Azula's shoulder. It's a little uncomfortable, but Ty Lee is willing to endure it due to the circumstances. Plus, she's still riding the high Azula had given her from her affectionate words earlier.

"Goodnight, Lee." Azula mumbles sleepily, and Ty Lee feels with her arm that the princess's breath has evened out to a slow and steady pace.

"Goodnight, Zula." She replies. "I love you."

-

5 years later, and Zuko had made a large announcement.

"You two are having a baby?!" Ty Lee gapes, dropping her cup back to the table where their breakfast laid, uneaten whilst the news was shared.

Zuko gives a smile, looking to Mai, his wife as of 2 years now. "We decided it's finally time."

"Makes sense. You'd need to produce an heir at some point." Azula says, nonchalant about the whole thing and continues to eat her breakfast.

Everyone ignores her comment, and procedes to congratulate the Fire Lord and Lady. They spend all of breakfast talking about baby names and when they think it'll arrive.

"We're still thinking about it. But as long as it's healthy, I'm happy."

"What does that have to do with the name Zuzu?" Azula pipes in, and earns a glare from the Fire Lord.

Azula liked to contest Zuko's power. She had no objective to take it anymore, of course. But that didn't mean she couldn't give him a hard time with it.

"I'm just saying-"

"Yes yes, I know what you're saying. It doesn't matter what their name is as long as their a strong heir. Blah blah blah." Azula waves off his comments and stands. "Now, I have some business to attend to with the generals. If you'll excuse me."

She leaves the room, and Ty Lee lets out a puff through her nose, smiling slightly. "That's Azula for you. All business."

"I wish she'd lighten up sometimes." Ursa frowns.

"She has a lot to take care of as the Fire Lord's closest advisor. Luckily, she thrives under pressure." The acrobat replies.

"Yeah, when her mind isn't scrambled to bits." Zuko says, not quite realizing the harshness of the statement until it was already out of his lips. "Crap. Sorry Ty."

"It's okay!" Ty Lee says with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Just be glad Azula wasn't here. She probably would have challenged you to another Agni Kai."

"She'd probably beat me." Zuko concedes. "She was always the stronger one and somehow has kept up her training regimen even with all her duties."

"That's for sure." Ty Lee mumbles, thinking back to many late nights where her nails had scraped into the firm, toned muscles of Azula's back.

She quickly shakes off her blush. "Anyway, how are things with the Water Tribes?"

Zuko lets out a sigh. "They seem to be opening up to the ideas I've offered. But their adamant about staying as close to their roots as possible. They don't really want other benders living with them, says it could mess with the ecosystem or something."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Ursa reassures.

"Yeah, or Azula will do it for you and get all the credit. Again." Mai chimes in.

"That was one time!" Zuko argues, but Mai merely goes back to her food.

"More like 3" She states before taking a bite.

Zuko looks to the rest of them for support, but finds heads looking elsewhere, showing that Mai is right on this one.

Azula had been a huge help with the Earth Nation colonies. She had single handedly worked out treaties that would divide it between the two, with the more Earth Nation populated ones going back to them, and vice versa. She had made Zuko look like he was there just for show. It did nothing to stop her growing ego against him.

Then, she had worked deals with the Earth King, Chiefs of the North and South Water Tribes, and Aang to leave aside a large plot of land that could be developed into a city where all benders could live.

It was still in the works, but the fact that Azula had managed to get all nations to work together on a common goal was something that would go down in history books.

The third was when Zuko was still early on in his rulings, and the Water Tribes were still angry about all the people they had lost. He had shown up with the hopes of reaching good terms with the people there.

But even with Katara and Sokka's support, the chiefs were hesitant and unrelenting in their barrages of what was basically a scolding.

Azula had had enough about 15 minutes in, and quickly pushed her brother out of the way to take over. She may have been the eviler or the two in the grand scheme of things, but she new how to deal with adults that were angry with her.

3 hours later, the Fire Nation was sailing home with a peace treaty signed by both the Fire Lord and the North and South Water Chiefs, and promise of good will between the two nations.

All in all, Azula was a well needed member in Zuko's council. She handled matters with the Army splendidly and knew how to negotiate with politicians and royalty as if it were second nature.

She was a perfect fit for her position. And Zuko came to realize that nobody else would be able to do a better job.

And on top of that, Azula had a stable, thriving relationship with Ty Lee. Kiyi had progressed magnificently in her training under Azula and was excelling in her studies at school.

"She's really come through hasn't she?" Zuko states, playing with his food. "I don't know how we would've gotten where we are now without her."

"She was raised to do it. Of course she's good at it." Mai states bluntly.

"So was I!"

"And yet, you got banished because you couldn't hold your tongue." Mai says. "Azula knows just what to say, when to say it, and how. She's a born leader and thrives in this area."

"Well why don't we just make her Fire Lord then?!" Zuko huffs, crossing his arms indignantly.

Ty Lee laughs, as well as everyone else who joins in to ridicule Zuko's ruling. "Nobody's saying to make her Fire Lord, Zuko!" She giggles.

"It sure sounds like it!"

The laughter calms, and Ty Lee lets a smile rest on her lips. "She may be a born leader, but the people look to you for a face of this Nation. You helped to lead them out of Ozai's reign and into a new era of peace. No matter what Azula does, they'll always choose you over her. She knows that, and so does everyone else."

Zuko frowns. "She's done more than enough, and the people still don't completely trust her."

"She went insane and banished her entire staff on her first day as Fire Lord. It's hard to come back from that." Mai says.

"Still. She's saved my life, both in the council is rooms and out of them. Whether it's treaties or assassination attempts, she's always done the right thing or jumped in to help."

They had all long since forgiven her for everything she had done. But the public still feared that the old Azula would come back and ruin everything they had built. They all understood this, Azula most of all. Which is why she stayed away from speeches and traditional parades that she normally would have to take part in.

She's a shadow, an invisible cog that kept the machine that was the Fire Nation turning. Whether the people realize it or not, she is one of the main reasons why the Fire Nation is flourishing as it is. Whatever she did in negotiations, it was kept inside those doors. Whatever parade or celebration they held for the signing of another treaty, Azula was always off to the side, watching from a distance as Zuko received the credit from the people.

Ty Lee knew it didn't bother her. Azula got plenty of credit from the people who did know, and used it constantly as teasing material. And even when Ty Lee asked her when they were alone behind closed doors, Azula would always say the same thing.

"I don't need anyone else's praises but yours."

The memory always made the acrobats heart flutter a little faster. Azula had gradually gotten more affectionate over the years, even going so far as to hug her mother on rare occasions. To Ty Lee it was proof of everything she believed Azula could be.

A strong, independent, hardworking, caring, and loving soul.

And Ty Lee loved her with as much love as the day she had discovered so. She doubted anything could change that at this point. Not after everything they've been through.

"I should go check on her. Sometimes meetings with the generals end with someone's life being threatened." Ty Lee says, getting up and bidding them all farewell.

She reaches the door to the meeting room as all of the generals are leaving. She catches one of their faces and see's it's a little fearful, but not something to worry over it.

Ty Lee doesn't hesitate to open the door, finding Azula sat at the top of where the Fire Lord would usually sit, laying on her back with her feet dangling off the steps. Typically, no one was allowed to sit there, but Azula was made a special case since she was handling it as the Fire Lord's stand in.

"They're all imbeciles." Azula groans, knowing full well who had come to see her. "They want to do a fireworks display off the shores of the Earth Kingdom as a sign of good faith. I am not letting the Navy become a...a-"

"Circus act?" Ty Lee offers, stopping just at the foot of the steps to where Azula was. She see's Azula's hands fly up in exasperation.

"Exactly!" She exclaims. "I swear, ever since Zuko assigned those newcomers they've been feeding me half baked ideas like this 24/7! It's unbelievable!"

Ty Lee giggles and finally makes her way up the stairs, reaching the top to see a very over worked Azula staring at the ceiling. "Well, they have nothing better to do with their forces now that the war is over."

"They could train. It never hurts to stay at the ready."

Clearly a dig. The Army had been a bit lazy with it's soldiers ever since the war ended. Azula, on the other hand, still trained her technique to perfection. Ever since that first attack that threatened Ty Lee's life, she had refined her rusted skills to a point so that nobody ever got close to hurting her again.

"Well, there's no threat. The Avatar's brung peace to the four nations and all we have to do is make sure it stays that way." Ty Lee takes a seat next to Azula's body.

"Easier said than done. His happy peace talk is one thing, but getting four opposing nations to come together and unite after years of fighting against one of them? It's no cake walk let me tell you."

"If anyone can do it, it's you and Zuko."

Azula laughs, and finally sits up, facing Ty Lee.

"Enough of that. Did you come to make sure I didn't rip off anyones head?"

"Mostly." Ty Lee shrugs. "That and the others started ridiculing Zuko about how bad of a Fire Lord he is."

"And you missed out on it for little old me? I'm touched."

Ty Lee smiled. Azula had finally transitioned away from using 'broken little me' in favor of 'little old me'. More evidence to Azula finally breaking away from her past.

"Don't act like you don't love having me all to yourself." She teases, earning a playful hum from Azula.

"I do." She says, leaning into Ty Lee's space to where the acrobat could feel Azula's breath ghosting over her own. "I really do."

Ty Lee chuckles, and plays a game of cat and mouse with Azula's lips until finally the princess loses her patience and grabs Ty Lee to pull her into the kiss. It's soft, sweet, and very much needed from both of them.

When it all first started, Ty Lee had gotten a letter back from Suki saying she was officially ordering Ty Lee to be Azula's bodyguard until further notice after what happened with the New Ozai Society. A couple years later, the threat from them was eliminated and there was no longer much of a need for such a role to be played.

It just so happened that Team Avatar had come to the Fire Nation for a visit, and that included Suki. During which, Ty Lee explained everything in a more thoroughly detailed manner.

By the end of the visit, Suki was leaving with Ty Lee's Kiyoshi uniform packed away with her things. There were no hard feeling about any of it, Suki understood that Ty Lee had built a life here once again, one that she didn't want to leave and that meant she couldn't have her duties to the Kiyoshi Warriors sending her all around the world.

So they parted with good feelings and the excitement of whatever was to come.

"We should get back to the others." Ty Lee whispered.

Azula groans. "I'd rather not. Zuko's all disgustingly happy and Mai's- Well, Mai's just Mai. And as soon as Kiyi see's me she'll beg to go to the arena."

"What? Don't want to spend the day training anymore?"

"I've found other, more enjoyable things to pass the time doing." Azula murmurs in a low, sultry voice.

Ty Lee's face goes tomato red. "You love doing this don't you?"

"Afraid I don't know what you mean." Azula murmurs, feigning ignorance as Ty Lee scoffs.

"Yeah right."

Azula lets out a throaty chuckle, and Ty Lee's heart swells at the sound. She takes a strand of Azula's hair into her hand and runs her fingers through it.

She had grown it out, the front pieces looking like they did before, only now she had a small knot to hold some of her hair up, as well as her newer crown. She had Zuko make her a new one as a sign of new beginnings. It was identical to the one she had before, but this time it was fresh, with no terrible past assigned to it. Apart from that though, her hair flowed freely down her shoulders like Ty Lee requested.

"We really should go though. You have to meet with Zuko."

"So restless to go. What? Finally had enough of me after all these years?"

Azula means it as a joke now. Something that only the two of them can truly understand. And years of therapy and help from Ty Lee had helped her to reach that point.

Ty Lee grins, leaning to steal a quick peck from the princess before standing up. "Absolutely not."

She holds out her hand for Azula to take, and she does. Together, they walk out of the meeting room, ready to face whatever challenge the day brings them.

Only this time, they will face it together. No fear, no lies, nothing but love holding them together. Love that burns just as bright as it did 5 years ago. Just as bright as it did when they were children, with no idea of what was to come. But, still it burns within them.

Brighter and purer than Azula's blue flames could ever hope to be.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this several months ago when I first watched Avatar. It was my first full story for tyzula and I had re-written it several times. It took a long time to figure out the kind of thought process Azula would have had after everything, but this was my first full attempt at it.
> 
> Tbh this is just something I like to look back on with fondness bcz i feel like ive improved a lot since i wrote this. so why not share it w anyone who wants to see it.
> 
> comment ur thoughts :)


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